Storybook reading: Literacy and teacher knowledge in early childhood education

Language and literacy are prioritised across education as tools for thinking with texts, and cultural tools to access participation in society, culture and learning. Teacher knowledge about ways to promote language and literacy are therefore critical. How might this intention play out in early childhood education, where longstanding beliefs about play and child-centred education have dominated Western provision? This paper explores teacher knowledge brought to playful storybook reading interactions between teachers and children aged 3–5 years in a qualitative study of two early childhood settings in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Teachers were explicitly and implicitly aware of specific teacher knowledge they brought to these interactions, prioritising knowledge of children and pedagogy while cognisant of language learning. The paper argues that blending Shulman’s seminal thinking about professional knowledge categories with tenets of early childhood pedagogy shows a way forward for thinking about teacher knowledge and professional learning that involves responsive, relational pedagogy in the context of story book reading. When teachers can confidently articulate and critically reflect on their pedagogies and decision-making, and are supported through professional learning and policy such as low teacher-child ratios, they might provide a sound foundation in the development of language and literacy for children.